“Ha, would you look at that?”
Viviana’s amethyst eyes rippled with shock. Her gaze fell upon a beautiful girl with pure white hair, huddled on the floor, shedding pitiful tears.
A hollow laugh lingered at the corners of her mouth. Others might have missed it, but thanks to having observed the girl the moment she entered the banquet hall, Viviana barely detected the fleeting change reflected in that brief moment.
Even with her keen, sharpened senses, honed through countless training, she could only catch the slightest shift. An ordinary person wouldn’t have had a clue.
‘She was definitely enjoying herself just now.’
“Where are you looking so intently, Lady Viviana?”
The sweet voice once again adjusted its focus directly ahead. Radiant white hair and golden eyes, noble as the sun, looked back at her, tinged with curiosity.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was distracted as there seems to be a bit of commotion.”
“Hehe, a little disturbance like that can happen in high society.”
The Third Princess, Astellah, watched the scene in the hall with an unfazed smile, gazing up at Viviana.
“By the way, I never expected you to attend on the second day. It’s truly touching.”
“Considering we’ll be working together moving forward, it’s no trouble to show this much sincerity.”
“Oh my, hehe….”
Though she said this, the truth was the reason for her presence wasn’t because of the princess. It was the smoothly rounded, snow-white backside she had seen at the previous banquet that continued to haunt her thoughts. For reasons unknown, that backside had persisted in her mind since the first day of the banquet.
The thought lingered so much it affected her daily duties, ultimately leading her back here again. Until now, she had never attended the same banquet consecutively, yet she felt that this confusion wouldn’t settle unless she laid eyes on that backside once more.
So that was why she showed up today….
‘What an unexpected sight to behold.’
It seemed that our pet young lady wasn’t quite the innocent person rumors suggested.
But ironically, that only piqued her interest further.
‘Hmm…’
It appeared she needed to have a bit more conversation.
*
With a bruise on her left cheek and unjust tears streaming down her face, Rose dashed out of the banquet. Meanwhile, I was being showered with love and affection from numerous young ladies.
“Tina… are you okay? You were really startled, weren’t you?”
“Ugh, n-no… I think I accidentally offended Lady Rose….”
“No way! Tina was only trying to say something nice, it’s clear Lady Verdalen has lost her mind!”
“Exactly. I always thought Lady Verdalen had poor manners, but I never imagined it would be this bad. It’s unbelievable.”
Several young ladies helped dry my tears. Nestling into Versha’s waist and burying my head in her belly, she tenderly stroked my hair and spoke kindly.
“Tina, don’t worry. I’ll make sure that girl can never lay a hand on you again.”
“No, it’s alright… I really am okay, Lady Versha. I just need to be more careful next time….”
“…Sigh, being so nice isn’t going to help you, Tina.”
From the way things looked, it was clear Rose wouldn’t dare show her face in high society for a while. Having been marked by Versha at a time when our family was vulnerable, she wouldn’t be able to walk with her back straight anymore.
“I wish Lady Mardian had been here; it’s a shame we couldn’t land a proper slap on her cheek.”
What a horrifying thought.
If Mardian had been present, she wouldn’t have acted that way. If Mardian stepped in, it would be a moment to truly understand why she’s called a villainess in the game. It wouldn’t simply end as an emotional outburst for me.
“Have you calmed down a bit, Tina?”
“Yes… it’s a little sad, but as soon as I saw Lady Versha’s face, I felt better.”
“Oh my, really?”
“But I might have pretended to be gloomy just to get some pampering from Lady Versha… I’m sorry, did I cause trouble?”
Versha’s eyes widened in surprise and trembled. Blushing faintly, she hugged me tightly and began spinning me around with all her might.
“You could never be a troublemaker, Tina! You can indulge as much as you want!”
Though I felt breathless, I didn’t let it show and kept a smile plastered on my face. That momentary turmoil quickly faded, and the night of the banquet deepened even further.
The young ladies shared laughs over their usual meaningless chatter, and I leaned on Versha’s shoulder, keeping time with them.
“By the way, Tina, you should pay Lady Mardian a visit.”
“Excuse me?”
My instincts made me flinch. Perhaps it was because I had been struck on the backside by Mardian several times last time, but I didn’t particularly feel like running into her.
“I heard she’s been preparing a gift for you. Something quite expensive, too.”
But what!
Since I had an attachment to Mardian, it might not be a bad idea to visit her. Thinking it over, I realized I didn’t really dislike Mardian, and there was no reason not to go.
It’s not like my feelings changed just because of a gift or anything.
“The gift sounds wonderful, but….”
“Hehe, that’s quite rude to the person who prepared it.”
“Ugh, alright, I understand.”
I wore the expression of someone who was reluctantly complying, bowing my head. Versha chuckled and playfully ruffled my hair while sending me off.
As I wandered through the extensive banquet hall, a subtle excitement seeped deep within my chest. If it was Mardian, known as the queen of high society, she wouldn’t have prepared anything trivial.
Gripping my gently throbbing heart, I suppressed the faint smile spreading across my face.
What could it possibly be? A necklace with blue jewels like Sharione, or perhaps the diamond-studded ring Versha had given me before. Whatever Mardian offered would certainly carry immense value for both me and my mother.
While I excitedly strolled through the hall, someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder.
“Ah, we meet again, Lady.”
“…Huh?”
My heart sank at the completely unexpected face.
Distinctive and striking features, shining amethyst eyes, stunningly white skin contrasted against jet-black hair, unapologetically showcasing curves that harmoniously flowed together.
If I had been born a man, I surely would have been captivated by her beauty.
“L-Lady Merdellia, what brings you here…?”
Viviana Merdellia.
She smiled slightly at me as she looked my way.
“It’s the princess’s banquet, so of course I must attend.”
No way.
Viviana absolutely never attends the same banquet twice. That was a detail directly stated in the game. It was a plot point illustrating how much Viviana found the world annoying.
No one would bat an eye if a high-status person like Viviana only showed up on the first day and left. So why was she here?
Though many questions filled my mind, I decided not to pry too deeply. Right now, Mardian’s gift was hundreds of times more important and anticipated than anything regarding Viviana.
No matter her reasons for being here, it had nothing to do with me. I flashed a polite and courteous smile before saying to Viviana.
“Oh… I see. It’s truly an honor to see you again, Your Grace.”
“Hehe… is that so?”
Viviana raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. She seemed quite pleased, but I knew that was all an act. It was already common knowledge that Viviana’s character wouldn’t feel joy from such sweetly spoken words.
“Yes. Well then, I shall take my leave.”
At my brief words, Viviana’s amethyst eyes trembled ever so slightly. Still grasping my shoulder, she smiled and inquired.
“Hmm? Is something the matter, My Lady?”
“Ah, I have an urgent prior engagement… pardon my intrusion, but I must take my leave. Wishing you peace.”
After bowing deeply once more, Viviana still didn’t release her grip on my shoulder. In this bewildering situation, I looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“….”
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.”
Eventually, after a stretch of time where she didn’t let go, I took a few steps back and carefully detached her hand from my shoulder. Whatever reason she stood there in a daze, I politely bid my farewell to her one last time and stepped back.
‘…I shouldn’t worry too much.’
But seriously, what could the gift be?
I hope it’s something expensive.
*
“…Huh?”
I stared blankly at the white-haired young lady retreating like a rabbit.
‘Was that all? Just a simple greeting?’
Even if I had only seen her once, I had taken the time to treat her wounds with care. Shouldn’t she express a bit more gratitude?
Of course, I had been trying to think I didn’t care much for her until yesterday. In reality, I only planned to exchange a few greetings. I didn’t want to invest any more thoughts into it.
I wasn’t going to waste my time on a frail noblewoman during this busy period.
But still, no matter how you look at it…
Surely, she could have been a bit warmer in her greeting?
“…How annoying.”
